,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #fhc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,february #ad1 #bjac 
,mr4 ,smith of ,washington 7for himself1
 ,ms4 ,hanabusa1 ,mr4 ,brady of         
,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,johnson of         
,georgia1 ,mr4 ,langevin1 ,mr4 ,castro  
of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,courtney1 ,mr4         
,garamendi1 ,mr4 ,andrews1 ,mr4 ,peters 
of ,california1 ,ms4 ,kuster1 ,mr4      
,o',rourke1 ,ms4 ,shea-,porter1 ,ms4    
,speier1 ,ms4 ,tsongas1 ,mr4 ,larsen of 
,washington1 ,ms4 ,brownley of          
,california1 ,mr4 ,takano1 ,mr4 ,schiff1
 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 ,ms4 ,lee of          
,california1 ,mr4 ,rush1 ,mrs4 ,carolyn 
,b4 ,maloney of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,heck  
of ,washington1 ,mr4 ,connolly1 ,ms4    
,moore1 ,mr4 ,huffman1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,ms4
 ,chu1 ,mr4 ,pocan1 ,mr4 ,capuano1 ,mr4 
,honda1 ,mr4 ,farr1 ,mr4 ,israel1 ,mr4  
,bishop of ,new ,york1 ,ms4 ,gabbard1   
,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,mc,dermott1 ,mr4    
,ryan of ,ohio1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4   
,deutch1 ,mr4 ,carson of ,indiana1 ,mrs4

 ,davis of ,california1 and ,mrs4       
,capps7 introduced the following bill2  
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,armed ,services1 and in addition to the
 ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs1 for 
a period to be subsequently determined  
by the ,speaker1 in each case for       
consideration of such provisions as fall
 within the jurisdiction of the         
committee concerned  ,a ,,bill  ,to     
amend titles #aj1 #cb1 #cg1 and #ch of  
the ,united ,states ,code1 to add a     
definition of spouse for purposes of    
military personnel policies and military
 and veteran benefits that recognizes   
new ,state definitions of spouse4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,military ,spouses ,equal ,treatment
 ,act4  #b4 ,definition of spouse for   
purposes of military personnel policies 
and military and veteran benefits to    
reflect new ,state definitions of spouse
  7a7 ,title #aj  7#a7 ,definition      
,paragraph 7#e7 of section #aja7;f7 of  
title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    

amended to read as follows3  7#e7       
,notwithstanding section #g of title #a1
 an individual shall be considered a    
spouse if the marriage of the individual
 is valid in the ,state in which the    
marriage was entered into or1 in the    
case of a marriage entered into outside 
any ,state1 if the marriage is valid in 
the place in which the marriage was     
entered into and the marriage could have
 been entered into in a ,state4 ,in this
 paragraph1 the term ,state means the   
several ,states1 the ,district of       
,columbia1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto 
,rico1 the ,commonwealth of the         
,northern ,mariana ,islands1 and the    
territories and possessions4  4  7#b7   
,conforming amendments ,such section is 
further amended--  7,a7 in the matter   
preceding paragraph 7#a74 by striking   
,in this title-- and inserting ,the     
following rules of construction apply in
 this title32  7,b7 in paragraph 7#a7-- 
7i7 by inserting ,the term after 7#a72  
and  7ii7 by striking the semicolon at  

the end and inserting a period2  7,c7 in
 paragraph 7#b7--  7i7 by inserting ,the
 term after 7#b72 and  7ii7 by striking 
the semicolon at the end and inserting a
 period2  7,d7 in paragraph 7#c7--  7i7 
by inserting ,the phrase after 7#c72 and
  7ii7 by striking the semicolon at the 
end and inserting a period2 and  7,e7 in
 paragraph 7#d7--  7i7 by inserting ,the
 term after 7#d72 and  7ii7 by striking 
2 and and inserting a period4  7b7      
,title #cb ,paragraph 7#ah7 of section  
#aja of title #cb1 ,united ,states      
,code1 is amended to read as follows3   
7#ah7 ,notwithstanding section #g of    
title #a1 an individual shall be        
considered a spouse if the marriage of  
the individual is valid in the ,state in
 which the marriage was entered into or1
 in the case of a marriage entered into 
outside any ,state1 if the marriage is  
valid in the place in which the marriage
 was entered into and the marriage could
 have been entered into in a ,state4 ,in
 this paragraph1 the term ,state means  

the several ,states1 the ,district of   
,columbia1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto 
,rico1 the ,commonwealth of the         
,northern ,mariana ,islands1 and the    
territories and possessions4  4  7c7    
,title #cg ,section #aja of title #cg1  
,united ,states ,code1 is amended by    
adding at the end the following new     
paragraph3  7#bg7 ,notwithstanding      
section #g of title #a1 an individual   
shall be considered a spouse if the     
marriage of the individual is valid in  
the ,state in which the marriage was    
entered into or1 in the case of a       
marriage entered into outside any       
,state1 if the marriage is valid in the 
place in which the marriage was entered 
into and the marriage could have been   
entered into in a ,state4 ,in this      
paragraph1 the term ,state means the    
several ,states1 the ,district of       
,columbia1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto 
,rico1 the ,commonwealth of the         
,northern ,mariana ,islands1 and the    
territories and possessions4  4  7d7    

,title #ch ,section #aja of title #ch1  
,united ,states ,code1 is amended--     
7#a7 in paragraph 7#c71 by striking of  
the opposite sex2 and  7#b7 by striking 
paragraph 7#ca7 and inserting the       
following new paragraph3  7#ca7         
,notwithstanding section #g of title #a1
 an individual shall be considered a    
spouse if the marriage of the individual
 is valid in the ,state in which the    
marriage was entered into or1 in the    
case of a marriage entered into outside 
any ,state1 if the marriage is valid in 
the place in which the marriage was     
entered into and the marriage could have
 been entered into in a ,state4 ,in this
 paragraph1 the term ,state has the     
meaning given that term in paragraph    
7#bj71 except that the term also        
includes the ,commonwealth of the       
,northern ,mariana ,islands4  4